Wringer



BJS. McCUTCHEN.

WRINGERL I APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20 1920- 1,399,303, Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

flmmamU/alalakim UNITED} STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRUNSON S. MCCUTCHEN, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

WBDSI'GER.

Application filed September 20, 1920. Serial No.

T 0 all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, BRUNSON S. Mo- CUTOHEN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing 'at Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of-New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wringers, of which the following is a specification. I

'The object of my invention is to provide means convenient to the operator for the ready separation of the compression rolls, in the event of an object such as the hand of the operator being drawn between the rolls. I accomplishthis and further objects by means of the mechanism' illustrated in the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a clothes wringer embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through Fig. 1, and i Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary View of one of the screw and ,key hole slot connections.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 designates a wringer frame comprising end bars or uprights 2 and side bars 3. The upper and lower compression rolls 4 and 5 are suitably mounted between the end bars 2, slidable bearing blocks 6 being provided for the upper roll. These rolls are kept under desired pressure or compression by means of compression coil springs 7 one at each side of the frame, hearing at their lower ends against the top of said bearing blocks. The upper ends of the springs 7 are engaged by opposite ends of an equalizing bar 9 normally forced in a downwardly direction by a compression screw 10 in a manner presently to be described.

Mounted on the top of the wringer frame 1 is a hand wheel 12 formed with a threaded bushing 13 through which the screw 10 is adapted to thread. This wheel is provided with a plurality of keyhole shaped slots 14,

in the present instance four in number, adapted to receive the heads of screws 11 projecting upwardly from the side bars 3, it being understood that there will be one screwfor each slot. When the wheel 12 is turned to bring the heads of the screws into the restricted portions of the slots the wheel cannot be lifted off the screws without first turning the former into the enlarged ends of the slots, it being understood that the heads of the screws are slightly smaller in diameter than the width of the enlarged ends of the slots and slightly larger in diam- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921. 411,547.

eter than the width ofthe restricted ends thereof. Consequently when the wheel is turned to the position shown in Fig. l or locked position and the operator screws down the compression screw 10 against the equalizer bar 9 the latter will also be forced downwardly placing the springs 7 under corresponding pressure.

In order to quickly relieve the rolls from cpmpression and permit separation thereof 1 1s bear against or strike either one of the bars or levers 15 on the hand wheel according to which side of the wringer'the operator may be working. The wheel 12 will thus be rotated in an antirclockwise direction until the heads of the screws 11 riding down the inclined shoulders or ways 17 formed at the sides of theslots register with the enlarged ends of the slots, whereupon the wheel 12 will rise off the screws 11 and of course the compression screw 10 being carried by the wheel will in consequence be moved out of engagement with the equalizer bar 9. Thus the upper compression roll willbe free to quickly move upwardly away from the lower roll 5 thereby instantly relieving the rolls of compression and permitting the operator to withdraw the object caught between the rolls.

The inclination of the ways 17 over which the heads of the screws 11 slide is such that the spring compression will cause a slight tendency to rotate the wheel 12 in such a direction as to cause release. However, this tendency will normally be overcome by the friction of. these parts, and will only serve to facilitate release when one of the levers 15 is struck by the operator. It should be borne in mind that this rotational movement and the frictional resistance bear a fixed mathematical ratio, which is constant under either normal or abnormal compression, and that hence there is no danger of the release operating by itself, without the operator applying pressure to one of the levers 15.

Any suitable means such as chains 16 may be employed to prevent the hand wheel from jumping or falling off the wringer frame Having thus described my invention:

WVhat I claim is:

1. A clothes wringer comprising a frame having pressure rolls and pressure means therefor, headed screws projecting upwardly from said frame, a hand wheel having keymerely necessary for the operator to hole slots therein adapted to receive said screws whereby when said wheel; is rotated in one direction said wheel will be locked to said frame by said screws and when rotated in an opposite direction said wheel will be free to be forced out of engagement with said screws and said frame, a screw threadedly mounted in said wheel cooperating with said pressure means, and manual means-for rotating said wheel. A

2. A clothes wringer comprising a frame having pressure rolls and pressure means therefor, a screw cooperating with said pressure means, rotatable means for carrying said screw, said means having slots therein arranged aboutits axis, projections on said frame adapted to operate in said slots and to lock said member to said frame when said member is rotated in one direction and to permit disengagement of said member.

when rotated in a counter direction.

3. A clothes wrin er comprising a frame having pressure roil therefor, a screw coo erating with said pressure means, means or carrying said screw comprising a member having slots therein,

headed means on said frame adapted to project through said slots and lock said s and pressure means.

member to the frame when said memher is moved in one; direction, inclined ways adjacent said slots down which said headed means slide to release said member when said member is moved in a counter direction,

4. A clothes wringer comprising a frame, having pressure rolls and pressure means therefor, a screwcoo crating with said pressure means, means or carrying said screw comprising aiwheel having a threaded hub through which said screw threads, keyhole arcuate slots in said wheel, and headed screws projecting upwardly from: said frame" r 7 through said slots forlocking said wheel to said frame when said wheel is rotated in a clockwise direction t0 brlng sald screws into thGI'BSi'IIlCtGCT portion of saidslots, and

inclined wa s adjacent saidslots adapted to facilitate t e relative, movement of said screws into the enlarged portion of said slots when said wheel is rotated ina counter clockwise direction, whereby said wheel is released from locked'fengagement with said frame. j y p In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

'B-RuNsoN s; memor es; i 

